Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County
Divorce Lawyers Serving Salt Lake City, Utah
A divorce lawyer in Salt Lake City should know how the Third District Court and its commissioners handle the first temporary orders, because those orders shape the rest of the case. Kili Divorce Law represents clients in Salt Lake City and the east bench communities, from Holladay to Cottonwood Heights.
Divorce in Salt Lake County’s Third District Court
Divorces filed in Salt Lake County are heard in Utah’s Third District Court, which also covers Summit and Tooele counties. Salt Lake County has two Third District courthouses, the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City and the courthouse in West Jordan. A divorce from anywhere in the county may be heard at either one.
Early requests, such as temporary custody, parent-time, and support, are often heard first by a court commissioner rather than a judge. Those first orders can set the pattern for the rest of the case. Utah also requires divorcing spouses to complete a divorce orientation course, and parents must complete a divorce education course. In most contested cases, the parties must also attempt mediation before trial. Knowing these steps ahead of time lets us use each one to your advantage.
What Is Often at Stake in Salt Lake City Divorces
Executive and Professional Compensation
Salt Lake City’s finance, healthcare, university, and professional firms pay through bonuses, deferred compensation, and partnership interests. Each has its own rules for when it is earned and how it is divided.
Medical and Professional Practices
When one spouse owns part of a medical, dental, legal, or consulting practice, its value and the owner’s true income are often the central financial questions in the case.
Established Homes and Investment Property
Long-held homes in Holladay, Federal Heights, Sugar House, and along the east bench may have grown substantially in value. Rental and investment property adds questions about income, debt, and which spouse contributed what.
How a Salt Lake County Divorce Attorney Can Help
Child Custody in Salt Lake City
Every family’s situation is different. We focus on protecting your time with your children when the other parent will not cooperate.
Alimony and Spousal Support
Whether you may receive support or be asked to pay it, we make sure the amount is based on what each of you actually earns, including bonuses and stock.
Child Support
Utah sets child support based on both parents’ income. If either income includes commissions, bonuses, or earnings from a company one of you owns, we make sure it is counted correctly.
Property and Debt Division
We make sure the house, retirement accounts, investments, and debts are identified and valued
accurately, and that what you owned before the marriage can remain separate if it can be traced.
Dividing a Practice or Company
If you or your spouse owns a small business, a medical practice, a firm, or part of a company, we look closely at how its value is calculated so the number used in your divorce is accurate.
Contested Divorce in Third District Court
If your spouse will not agree on the issues that matter, a judge in Salt Lake County’s Third District Court will decide them. We prepare from the start as if that will happen, which also puts you in a stronger position to settle.
Salt Lake Communities We Serve
Salt Lake City, including Sugar House, the Avenues, and Federal Heights, along with Holladay, Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights, Emigration Canyon, Murray, South Salt Lake, Taylorsville, and West Valley City.
Salt Lake County clients meet with us at our Lehi office.
Salt Lake County Divorce Questions
Stock grants, options, and bonuses earned during the marriage are generally part of what gets divided in Utah, even if they have not vested yet. The harder question is how much of each award was earned during the marriage, which depends on when it was granted and when it vests. We go through each grant against the company’s plan documents so nothing is missed or miscounted.
Utah requires at least 30 days between filing and a final divorce, unless a judge waives that period. When spouses disagree about children, support, or property, the case usually takes much longer. How long yours takes depends on how many issues are in dispute and on the court’s schedule.
Only if you or your spouse has lived in Utah, and in Salt Lake County, for at least three months before filing. If you moved here more recently, the case may need to be filed in the county where one of you lived before, or you may need to wait until you meet the three-month requirement.
Distance affects which school your children attend, how exchanges work, and how much time each parent can realistically have. A Salt Lake City child custody lawyer can help you build a schedule that works for your children and that a court is likely to accept.